Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-11
THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
1t is the CrOwning Jewel i'm the
Diadem.

In the absence of the regular pastor,
Rev. w. j. Chichester, who is on
vacation, the pulpit of the First Pres
byterian Church was filled yesterday
by Rev. DR.. Weller, His discourse
was on the text in the 14th verse OF
the 5th chapter of the I'd Corinthians :
"For the love of Christ constraineth
us,o etc. The reverend gentleman
delivered a most eloquent sermon,
earnest and full of touching sugges-
tion. and masterful and scholarly in
its literary beauty and finish. He
placed the love of Christ above all the
virtues one could possess, for in it was
included every other virtue. The man
who in his soul loved Christ could
do nothing that was wrong. His
Christianity, through that blessing,
would reach to the highest perfection,
and he would be triple-armed against
every temptation. The softening in
fiuences Of that love would tinge his
whole character, making him strong
in uprightness, undertaking IN purity,
and infexible in the right. 1t would
conquer where all the other virtues
might fail. Through the love OF
Christ, the citadel of sin would be
taken while the other characteristics
would be merely battering at the outer
walls. 1t was the sword, the girdle,
the breastplate and the shield, all in
one, of the Christian warrior:
To seek gold at the proper time and
in the proper way was commendable ;
but to make it the object of effort and
desire to the exclusion OF the nobler
aspirations, could not be too severely
reprehended. The character that was
svmmetrically rounded and finished
with an abiding faith in the Holy
Spirit would be forever hallowed by
the beauty that would come to 1t from
the love of Christ. 1t would enable
him to do his duty in material things,
not forgetting the spiritual, and the
treasures he would lay up in that city
whose streets were gold, would be
everlasting. The mere material
things of this world were not to be
neglected or despised; but the spir-
itual things of the world to come
were the riches that could never take
to themselves wings. No matter how
much man may have garnered OF
this worlds wealth, it was nothing
unless he had garnered up riches in
heaven. 1t was the speakers fortune
a few DAYS ago to be in Chicago. In
company with Superintendent of Sun
day Schools Reynolds he visited the
great farm known as the Strong farm
Mr.. REYNOLDS told him that a short
time previously he had been there,
and Mr.. Strong took him into his pa
latial mansion. 1t was sumptuously
and luxuriously furnished. All that
wealth could buy was there. He
was taken by the owner into the upper
story. from which there was g mag
nificent view. As far as the eye could
reach i'm every direction were the rich
fields covered with golden grain. Mr..
REYNOLDS saw the evidence OF his
hosts great wealth on every hand, but
suddenly he turned to Mr.. Strong and
said: dyes, you are the possessor OF
wonderful riches; but how about the
wealth you have stored up in
heaven?" Mr.. Strong was fain to say
that he feared he had not stored
much. A short time after that, as he
was pacing the floor of one OF his gor-
geously furnished rooms, he was
Stricken down and died. How poor
was he then He had made gold his
idol here. 1t had so absorbed
his being that he had laid
M but little treasure in heaven,
and when the supreme moment came
he was at one stroke bereft OF all his
riches and hurried to an eternity
where he had laid up nothing. The
! love of Christ would then have been a
priceless treasure. He would have
oeen rich in the eternity of riches,
hough he had been here as poor as
nzarus. Let us all, while there is
Inc, seek for the exceeding riches
Hat cometh from the love of Christ.
BAan be had by the poorest here as
Bal as the most opulent. Those most
BBsgily endowed by nature cannot
Be.lre it more easily than the hum,
Be3,t in intellect. 1t is a feast OF
Bel BBeeILch all classes and all conditions
BBeennpartake, Ben and it bringeth eternal
Bert1iness to the lowliest as well as to
Bess reotest and most powerful.